GIVING RELIGION A BAD NAME I once again present my very firm views on religion and democracy. Malawi is a constitutional democracy and provides every citizen the freedom of religion and that includes the freedom not to belong to any religion. Freedom of religion is a right and every right comes with responsibilities. Responsibility implies enjoying your rights while ensuring you do not injure other peoples rights. It is an established demographic fact that Mangochi is predominantly muslim. We also know that pork is regarded unclean in Islam and that muslims do not take pork is their freedom of choice linked to their religion. Some muslims there have taken their freedom without considering there responsibilities. Mangochi is a district in Malawi administered under constitutional democracy. This means it also has citizens who enjoy their right to consume pork as a delicacy or use it as a business commodity. The right of those consuming or selling pork anywhere in Malawi including Mangochi is guaranteed by the constitution. I stand to be educated if the pork seller took his fresh produce to a mosque. The state has the duty to protect all regardless of their religious affiliation. We know there are so many other things that Islam forbids including beer. Are bottle stores and bars in Mangochi the next target of violence for the misguided few who want to use Islam to infringe on other peoples right? I wonder. I expect institutions such as MAM, ministry of information and civic education (I repeat, Information and Civic Education) to speak on this. Politicians have in recent times tended to shy away from condemning religious constituencies which also overlap with political constituencies. Malawi/Mangochi is not a Theocracy like Saudi Arabia or Afghanistan where other religions have no space to practice their faiths. Mangochi again, some apostolic faith members think their religious rituals are beyond statutory laws and decide to encroach a protected forest reserve. I stated a few weeks ago on this same medium that religious beliefs should help us be sane/more sane. If our beliefs push us to insanity, there is every reason to get worried, very worried. There you go. In 2010, I raised my concern on this very forum on a story where Malawis well know atheist (someone who believes God does not exist), Mr Thindwa was pushed out of a public passenger service bus at Zalewa for his statements in a conversations with other passengers. I argued and I argue again here that Malawis Constitution guarantees freedom of choice of religion and that freedom includes not belonging to any religion. It includes believing or not believing that God exists. Mr Thindwas treatment was unfair, selective and an infringement of his rights guaranteed by the constitution of a country to which he is not a lesser citizen. His pronouncements were done in a public space, not in a church or a mosque. The behaviour of the Christians and like in the bus is another example of giving religion a bad name. I know Islam means peace and it is called a religion of peace. I know Christianity as a religion built on love. What is peace? What is love?
Posted on: Thu, 28 Nov 2013 14:45:48 +0000